Yale Diabetes Center

Founded in 1994, the Yale Diabetes Center (YDC) is a regional resource for diabetes care and education and represents the joint efforts of the Yale Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and Yale-New Haven Hospital, one of the nation's leading healthcare centers. In 2008, the YDC moved to its new practice site on the 2nd floor of the Dana Building at 789 Howard Avenue. The YDC cares for over 1000 patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. We stress tight glucose control and aggressive management of other cardiovascular risk factors, in order to prevent the long-term complications of diabetes.

We provide comprehensive management and education to over 1000 adults with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, as well as those with pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Focusing on life style interventions and employing the latest medications and technologies to treat or prevent diabetes, the YDC seeks to improve the health and well being of all its patients. Our goal is to give our patients the tools necessary to successfully self-manage the day-to-day rigors of life with diabetes and related metabolic conditions. Following the American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Care, the Center interfaces medical management with patient education and the latest clinical applications of diabetes research.

The center is staffed by 4 diabetologists and 3 nurse practitioners/diabetes educators, allowing patients to be scheduled 5 days a week. Drs. Rosa Hendler, Kevan Herold, Silvio Inzucchi, Robert Sherwin are all board-certified or board-eligible endocrinologists.

Clinical fellows from the Section of Endocrinology round out our professional staff. Our internationally recognized physicians and nurse practitioners work as a team to address the diabetes needs of our diverse populations in New Haven, Connecticut, and New England. We also have access to the comprehensive nutritional services of the Centers for Nutrition at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

The YDC provides a full range of diabetes care, one-on-one lifestyle counseling, glucose monitoring instruction, and insulin injection training. Group education classes and a resource room for self-learning are available for assisting patients to learn more about their diabetes and devise an appropriate program for the best health outcomes.

We have extensive experience in insulin pumps and continuous glucose sensors necessary to support and guide the patient through the process of utilizing these latest technologies to improve their diabetes management. The Center also offers convenient on-site A1c testing.

The YDC maintains close working relationships with other departments at Yale University providing care to diabetes patients. These include Ophthalmology, Cardiovascular Medicine, Nephrology, Vascular Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Transplant Surgery, Podiatry, Orthopedics, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Neurology.

The YDC’s Inpatient Diabetes Management Team, founded in 2005, is the only one of its kind in Connecticut. The team focuses on improving the blood glucose control of patients hospitalized at Yale-New Haven Hospital with high blood sugar.

Team members consist of nurse practitioners Gael Ulisse and Helen Psarakis, who also serves as Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Clinical Diabetes Nurse Specialist, endocrine fellows, and an attending endocrinologist. Rounds are conducted daily.

Yale is a national leader in the development of protocols and procedures to ensure optimal glucose control during hospitalizations. The Yale Insulin Infusion Protocol, for example, is now used by hundreds of hospitals around the world to achieve meticulous glucose control in critical care units.

Clinical research opportunities are also available for our patients, who may take advantage of ongoing clinical trials at the NIH-funded Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI).